His Dominant Omega (3 page)

The day ran long, and he got busy helping some guys finish installing windows on a small cottage-style house that Josef was certain held more windows than actual walls. It was pretty, but Josef would bet money it’d be drafty come winter.

Josef removed his shirt and tossed it in the back. He had sweated so bad that the damn thing stuck to him like a second skin. When he got into his truck he turned the air conditioning on max and let the cool air blow across his damp skin. A little chill caused his arm hair to stand on end.

His phone started to ring, and he didn’t even look to see who was calling. He just hit the call screen. “Hello.”
“Josef, hi. It’s Jensen.”
Josef silently cursed himself. He so didn’t need to finish this conversation. He knew why the man was calling, and any other time he totally would have been into getting a piece of that sexy little ginger but now…
His thoughts trailed off as a picture of a tall blond man with the most intriguing eyes danced across his memory.
Cole.
Josef brought his fist up to his forehead and banged the flat end against his forehead. He should have checked the caller ID first. “Hey, Jensen. What’s going on?”
“Not much. I just wanted to thank you again for coming out today.” Jensen fell silent, and Josef started to pull the phone from his ear to see if he had dropped the call when the other man spoke up. “I was wondering if you would like to get something to eat sometime, with me.”
And there it was. A part of him wanted to say yes, but then a part of him felt like that would be a betrayal to Cole, which was ridiculous since he hadn’t even been on a date with the guy.
“Jensen, I’m flattered. I really am, but I don’t want this to infringe upon our working relationship.” Josef spoke the truth. Devon would shit monkeys if he hooked up with one of the only architects he actually really liked.
“You’re not one for mixing business and pleasure.” Jensen laughed. “I can understand that. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“No, you can’t, and I don’t.”
“Great. Well I guess I’ll call you if the Andersons make any more changes to their house.”
They talked for a few minutes more, laughing about how the Andersons kept changing every little thing, then said a quick goodbye. Jensen had another call coming through, and Josef had just pulled into the driveway in front of his house.
Before getting out of the truck he reached over and snatched up his discarded shirt and climbed out. As he headed up the walkway he noticed Devon sitting on the front porch drinking a beer. He walked up the steps and sat in the lounge chair next to his friend.
“So how did the new guy work out?” Devon asked.
“Cole?” Devon nodded his head. “Well I hired him if that’s what you’re asking.” Josef used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead. For some reason he felt like it just got hotter.
“Good, but I meant how did he work out? He’s not going to be one of these guys that we hire and never see again, is he?”
Josef understood where Devon was coming from. They hired men before who worked one day, then it was as if they fell off the face of the planet. “No, I think this one is going to stick around. I had him work with Dave and his crew today. And the kid must have made a good impression. Dave sent him to get a cell phone already. He said he had a good feeling about his one. Whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean.”
“Hey, if Dave likes him, the guy must be on the up-and-up. That man can smell a worthless piece of shit in a manure pile.”
Josef just nodded his head. Now that Devon brought Cole up, that was all he could think about. It drove him crazy that he couldn’t shake this needy feeling to be around the man or to seek him out and plead for sex. He wasn’t the type to beg for anything. Men threw themselves at him all the time. Case in point Jensen.
“Everything okay?” Devon crunched his beer can against his knee, drawing Josef’s attention to him.
“Yeah, I’m just tired I guess.” To emphasize his point he yawned real wide.
“Sure you are.” Devon tossed the emptied can in Josef’s lap. “Now seriously, what’s eating you? Ever since we started to talk about Cole you’ve been doing that nervous leg twitchy thing you do. So what gives?”
Living and working with his best friend was great most of the time, but at times like this it sucked. Devon knew him so well he couldn’t hide the slightest thing from him. Josef let out a frustrated growl and smacked his shirt over his knee. “Honestly? I can’t stop thinking about Cole, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Really?” Devon sat forward in his chair.
“Don’t get too thrilled. He’s not my mate.” He could tell his friend was getting excited and didn’t want to burst his bubble.
“Oh.” Devon’s smile quickly turned into a frown.
“Yeah, the scent wasn’t there. I’m definitely attracted to him, but that’s it.” For some odd reason Josef felt like a shit for saying it was just a simple attraction. It felt like more than that. But the big indicator of a mate was the smell, and Cole smelt great and all but just not like a mate should.
“That sucks.” Josef nodded his agreement. Devon stood up and held out his hand for him to take. “But nothing’s stopping you from asking the man out.”
Josef let Devon pull him to his feet. “True.” He gave Devon a huge shit-eating grin. “God knows I’m sexy as hell, and I have Jensen Collins to prove it.” He smothered his merriment when Devon’s eyes widened. “He called and asked me out on a date.”
“He didn’t.”
“He did.”
“What did you say?” Devon asked, and Josef couldn’t help but think the man looked a few shades paler than usual.
“What do you think I said? Of course I said yes. I’m meeting him later to violate his sweet little ass.” Any time the opportunity to mess with Devon came up, Josef took it. What else were friends for?
“Like hell you are,” Devon shouted as he followed Josef into the house.
He couldn’t stop laughing at the irate look on Devon’s face. Before Devon lost his cool and blew a gasket, Josef fessed up. “I’m just fucking with you. I know how much you like Jensen’s work. I wouldn’t mess that work relationship up for you.” He wrapped an arm around Devon’s shoulder and guided him toward the kitchen.
“What a relief. You had me going there for a minute.” Devon stopped him before they could enter the kitchen where the others had already convened. “But if it turns out that you do really like Jensen, I can make an exception for you.”
Josef appreciated Devon’s offer, but it wasn’t necessary. Until he got Cole out of his system all the men in a hundred-mile radius were safe. “I like him, but just not in that way, Devon. But thank you.”
Devon gave him a curt nod then headed into the kitchen. His mate, Aiden, sat at the end of the table talking with Erik. Devon took the seat next to his mate, and Aiden gave him a welcome kiss.
Josef looked across from those two lovebirds to see Viktor and Shane. They were whispering softly to one another, and Josef had no doubt it was in reference to them having crazy wild sex somewhere later that night in the great wide open.
He took his seat at the end, and Erik looked up from his plate to smile at him. Erik’s eyes went from one couple to the next then he shook his head and rolled his eyes. Josef started to laugh, and the four men in question looked at him.
Yep this was his life now. Watching his friends find love while he sat back in the wings all alone. It wouldn’t be forever. Josef had faith he’d find his mate, but the question was when? And when he did find his mate would this silly crush he had on Cole go away? Josef couldn’t put his finger on why he liked Cole. They just met and only talked for a few minutes. Surely what Josef felt on the inside stemmed from a major case of loneliness.
Skyler brought over dinner and everyone dug in. Conversation drifted from one person to the next and the idle chatter briefly took his mind off a man he couldn’t have.

The night went by fast, and Josef had to thank a hard day’s work for that. After dinner he took a shower and turned in for the night. His dreams were filled with Cole in different degrees of being undressed.

Josef welcomed the dreams. At least in his subconscious he didn’t feel guilty for pining over a guy he just met. In fact it gave him the courage to go and see the man the next day. With any luck he could get a read on Cole and make sure he was interested before he went and embarrassed himself.

With a plan set, Josef left the house of love, as he started to refer to it, and headed toward the work site. He had called Dave to confirm he had Cole working at the same house again. They were hanging Sheetrock today, and Josef thought that gave him an excellent excuse to go and supervise.

Josef had the music turned up and was singing along to a song when a familiar rusty, not-fit-for-the-road truck came into view. It was pulled off on the shoulder with the hood propped open and the owner standing in front of it.

“It seems to be my lucky day.” Josef sang out the words. He hit his blinker and pulled up behind Cole’s pickup and got out. “Can I help with anything?”

At the sound of his voice Cole’s head peeked around the corner. A warm smile crossed his lips, and he waved Josef over. “Only if you know anything about engines. I think the old girl is on her last leg.”

Josef stepped beside Cole and took a deep breath, just checking to make sure he didn’t miss something before.
Nope, just soap and Cole’s natural musk. But still Josef thought the man smelt delicious.
He looked down at the inside of the old truck and almost laughed. The wires connecting the battery were being held together with masking tape. Not the type of tape that can withstand high temperatures.
“I think I know what your problem is.” Josef pointed to the crumb-covered battery that looked original to the truck.
“Yeah, what?” Cole took a step back, and his elbow brushed against Josef’s arm, and his breath caught in his chest. The small touch was electric.
“I’m not sure how much you know about trucks”—he pointed down at the offending battery—“but masking tape isn’t the best choice to hold car parts together.” He did laugh then at Cole’s raised eyebrows. “It’s like hooking up a tow hitch with a shoe string.”
Cole stepped back to the truck, braced his hands on the edge of the hood and looked inside. Josef took the chance and skimmed his eyes over Cole’s backside. His jeans were a little baggy but not much. Josef could make out the hard muscles that clung to his legs and ass. God, he’d give his right nut to see this man naked even if for just a minute.
“Fuck me!” Cole shouted.
“Gladly,” Josef muttered.
“Excuse me?” Cole looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you say something?”
Josef quickly looked up and wiped his hand across his mouth. He’d just been caught eyeing the man’s ass and didn’t want to add insult to injury by drooling down his chin. “Uh, no. I didn’t say anything.”
Cole squinted an eye as he looked at him. A small knowing smile graced his lips like he knew exactly what Josef had said. But he whispered the word so softly there was no way the other man could have heard him. Josef might have lost his finesse when in this man’s presence, but he sure as shit wouldn’t have said something like that for the man to hear. If Cole wasn’t into him, he could file a sexual harassment suit. That was the last thing Josef needed.
“What am I going to do?” Cole said more to himself as he turned back toward his truck. “Fuck, I so don’t need this right now.” He banged his hands down on the hood.
“Hey, calm down.” Josef stepped up behind Cole and rested his palms on the other man’s shoulders. He lightly ran his thumbs in a circular motion trying to relieve the tension in the man’s body. “Let me make a phone call. I’ll have the shop in town tow it back and have them fix the battery.”
“I can’t do that.” Cole turned around to face him. “Even if they fix it, I can’t afford to pay for it. I’m screwed.”
Josef’s eyes fell to watch Cole’s lips as he talked. It was like this man put him under a spell, and no matter what he wanted or requested Josef wanted to do it. He wanted to see Cole smile again.
“Not today you’re not.” Josef stepped around Cole. He needed to put some distance between him and the man before he kissed the breath from his plump pink lips. He dropped the hood and pulled out his cell phone.
“What are you doing?” Cole asked as he followed closely behind him.
“I’m going to have your truck towed back to town and pay to have a new battery put in it.” He held up his hand when Cole started to protest. “Just stop. You can pay me back when you can, no rush.”
Cole chuckled. “That’s very trusting of you. How do you know I’ll pay you back?”
“Well first off, I sign your checks, and second, I know where you live.”
After a minute of Cole staring at him the man finally relented and nodded his head. “Thank you. I promise to pay you back every cent.”
“I trust that you will.” Josef dialed the number and hit send. He paced back and forth while he waited for the call to be answered. Once he got the arrangements made he turned back to Cole who was leaning against his truck.
“All set?” Cole asked as he stood up.
“Yep.” Josef nodded his head. He motioned from Cole’s truck to his own. “Why don’t you grab your stuff, and I’ll be your chauffer for the day. Be sure to leave your keys under the seat. They’ll be here within the hour.”
“Chauffer,” Cole said the word teasingly. “I might get use to that. I’ve never had my own personal driver before.”
Josef couldn’t believe he offered it. He just sentenced himself to be around the man who made his blood boil and his dick hard all day long.

He looked heavenward.
Please God, give me the strength not to embarrass myself today.
It was a small prayer for control and he hoped the big man upstairs was listening and took pity on him today.

On the ride to the jobsite Josef talked the whole way. His nervousness was causing him to fidget and talk nonstop. Thankfully Cole didn’t notice his discomfort. He talked right along with Josef as if talking about late-night television was truly that interesting.

Josef breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled up and saw Dave’s smiling face. The foreman politely told Cole what they were working on, and Cole got right to work. Josef was impressed with how easy Cole fell right into place with the other guys. Everything and everyone seemed to be extra calm and relaxed, and it actually made the work go by smoothly. Carsten and Son’s had some really great employees, but when a group of men were thrown together, in the heat no less, sometimes emotions ran high. If a guy wasn’t pulling his weight someone would call him on it, and the next thing Josef knew a call was coming in to him or Devon to come put out a fire. Josef didn’t care what reason had the men getting along. He was just appreciative because now he could focus on Cole all day.